Orbea ready for season debut

Orbea will go all out to make an impression at the XXI Iberostar Challenge Ciclista Mallorca starting tomorrow by sending their entire team to the four one-day races that mark the Spanish season opener.

According to the race's own homepage, Aberasturi, Bagües, Barbero, Bizkarra, Etxebarria, Fraile, Merino, Orbe and Zuazubiskar will all line up. 24-year-old Andoni Blázquez is also slated for the race, but the Astigarraga native, who got almost all of last year wiped out by injury, told Iban Mayo Blog yesterday that he's suffered a small setback and therefore postponed his return to the Clásica Almería in three weeks' time.

New signings Illart Zuazubiskar, Omar Fraile, Haritz Orbe, Carlos Barbero and Igor Merino will don the blue jersey for the very first time, while crash victim Xabier Zabalo is still recuperating and is some time off returning to competition.